Fóshuō Nàinǚ Qíyù yīnyuán jīng 佛說㮈女祇域因緣經

Sūtra of the Causes and Conditions of the Mango-Maiden and Jīvaka translated by 安世高 (Ān Shìgāo, 譯)

About the work

The Fóshuō Nàinǚ Qíyù yīnyuán jīng (T553) is a one-fascicle avadāna sūtra by Ān Shìgāo 安世高 (安世高). The protagonists are the famous courtesan Āmrapālī 㮈女 (the “Mango Maiden”) and her son Jīvaka 祇域 — the Buddha’s personal physician.

Prefaces

The text opens with the canonical formula.

Abstract

This text and its parallel KR6i0185 (T554) preserve the canonical Buddhist narrative of Āmrapālī and her son Jīvaka. Āmrapālī was the courtesan-queen of Vaiśālī who became one of the Buddha’s wealthiest patrons; Jīvaka was the most celebrated physician of the Buddha’s circle. The narrative is one of the most famous in Buddhist literature and has parallels in Pāli and other Indic sources. Translation falls within Ān Shìgāo’s productive period (148–170 CE).

Translations and research

  • Salomon, Richard. “Aśvaghoṣa’s Saundarananda IV-VI: A Study in the Poetic Structure of Buddhist Kāvya.” Indo-Iranian Journal 53 (2010) — covers Āmrapālī tradition.
  • Lamotte, Étienne. Histoire du Bouddhisme indien. Louvain, 1958 — Jīvaka context.